Jazz amp comparison video

[mrblues]

Hello!

I just found this video on youtube, which compares 8 types of jazz amps with 4 jazz guitar. If you still cant decide which of these to buy, hope that helps.

The amps:

fender ‘68 custom
princeton reverb
fender blues junior
roland blues cube stage
dv mark jazz 12
dv mark little jazz
zt amp lunchbox
fender frontman
10gstrymon iridium

Guitars:

1: Gibson ES-175 1958 vintage / PU: Original PAF pickups
2: Gibson L-5CES 2015 / PU: Bare Knuckle Pickups THE MULE
3: Fender Custom Shop Telecaster / PU: Custom Shop Twisted Tele Pickups
4: Gibson ES-125 1963 / PU: Original P-90

Thanks for the guy, who made this video.

God Bless You All,

MrBlues

[ruger9]

Amazing how close some of those amps were (and by that I mean, amazing how well the guy knows how to use gear... which is really the "secret sauce", not any piece of gear).

I liked different amps with different guitars. Something I discovered awhile ago, and why I have more than 1 amp and 1 guitar. If I ever decide to get down to 1 guitar, then I might be able to get down to 1 amp. (not that I have alot, currently at 7 guitars and 3 amps)

[Strbender]

Nice and informative video. I have the DV Mark Little Jazz. Hearing it compared with the others makes me pleased to have it. My other amp is a Peavey C30 from the late 90's.

[DawgBone]

I only listened to the ES175 and L-5.

The princeton was the easy winner, by quite a ways. The sound was richer, deeper, fatter, more lush whatever whatever. The blues jr and a whole slew of the others, most of them, sounded boxy and/or thin by comparison or as though they had a blanket over the speaker, muffled. The blues jr and the L-5 coming in right after the Princeton/L5 combo sounded embarrassing, it literally destroyed the rhythm tone.

I wish he would've mixed down the bass/rhythm guitar so you could hear the lead tones a little better.

[NSJ]

My conclusions:
1. I was surprised how ALL of them sounded at least acceptable
2. The Telecaster was too bright
3. My clear favorite in terms of balance of tone with the added sparkle was the Princeton Reverb amp overall
4. I was surprised how well the Strymon Iridium pedal sounded-and, added bonus, no mic needed to record.

5. My least favs were the blues jr and lunchbox

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Different strokes for different folks……

The Strymon is almost shrill in comparison with the best of the rest, but I think it was dealt a bad hand by the chosen settings. It looks like the left toggle is on “chime”, which is a Vox AC30 emulator. And we don’t know which cab emulation is being used. Using the Fender amp model instead of the Vox might have been a better and fairer choice for a jazz tone comparison. OTOH, if that was the Fender sim, I don’t get the widespread enthusiasm for the Iridium. I wouldn’t want to sound like that, especially with a fine archtop.

[John A.]

I think videos like this are pointless. All this tells us is that the same guy playing the same thing with the same guitar (x several guitars) through amps with unknown settings into a recording chain with unknown settings sound a little different. I don't think that's at all informative about what these amps can do or gives a useful comparison between amps. What matters is the range of sounds an amp can get and how well that range intersects with the sounds a player wants to hear, compared to other amps. In practice, that's difficult to figure out, and even more difficult to record. That's why it takes most of us a long time to figure out what amps we like.

[Tal_175]

I'm surprised my favorite was DV Mark 12. I've never played through that amp but it sounded fat like a polytone in the recording. Princeton was also great in a more lush and versatile kind of way. I liked ES 175 the most among the guitars.

Yes, there is a limitation to what you can learn about these amps from a youtube recording. But because they were all recorded in the same setting, there is some value in the comparison IMO.

[Vihar]

The amp settings are written in the video description:

[Little Jay]

All guitars and amps sound pretty much identical to me, only the tele gives a distinctive different sound. The differences are too small to speak of a different sound imho

The guy’s right hand position is the most prominent element in his sound (very close to the fretboard, before the neck pickup even).

So amps and guitars don’t matter then? Oh yes they do. But the problem with these vids is that in a home recording situation I can make pretty much any amp and guitar combination sound good and more or less the same even, namely: it will sound like me. It’s live on stage during a gig where amps and guitars show their true colours (and shortcomings), somehow every small difference becomes enlarged then.

My God, that tune is really stuck in my head now (watched the whole vid….)

[bluejaybill]

I thought this video was very well done, recorded using two mikes in a way that I am familiar with, better than most of these videos on YT. I felt I could discern the differences between the various amps quite well.

My takeaway: Princeton and LJ 12 were the best to me, ZT Lunch's was a bit muffled, might have been the settings. And if that's the sound of an Iridium, I don't need one.

The ES175 sounds like a really great one, a '58 with real PAF's I believe. Just great. And the E125 also sounded classic- I may need to get a P90 guitar! The L5 for some reason didn't sound as good as most that I've played or owned, maybe those Mule pickups? The telecaster, I don't know, I really don't see using one for jazz without a neck pickup change. I do love a telecaster for a lot of other sounds though.

[John A.]

The amp settings are written in the video description:

Right you are. But still, what is this telling us beyond "these amps sound like this at these settings"? That's a very limited bit of information.

[RobbieAG]

My favorite was the 175 through the Princeton. I thought the Blues Cube sounded good too. Somewhat of an unfair comparison as a few of the amps are much smaller and in a different class (ex/ Frontman 10). I didn't like the DV Mark or the Strymon very much. It's pretty tiring hearing the same tune over and over but I suppose it makes it a better comparison.

[rpjazzguitar]

For the melody playing I liked the LJ best. It's the amp I use regularly, so that was reassuring.

But, for the comping, I liked one of the Fenders better. A little more clarity or something.

I was surprised to find that I liked the Lunchbox for melody-- because I had one and couldn't get a sound I liked.

[grahambop]

I liked the 175 through the Little Jazz.

Which is cool, as that’s what I’ve got!

[One_Note]

Impressed with the DV Mark stuff. I need to check those out.

[Alter]

I've owned 6 of these amps and played gigs with two more (so I think all except the iridium - which I've played in a studio and it is impressive.. however I still use an old Sansamp Blonde for pedalboard direct). Besides the frontman which I haven't gigged, you can easily gig with any of them.

However the moment the volume goes up, and other instruments enter the mix, the differences become substantial. There are no surprises there, the bigger, more expensive ones can handle things better. Tubes also have their own sound, if one is partial to that.

However, the fact that the little guys can handle gig volume, with their tiny speaker, size and weight.. that's a real breakthrough for the gigging musician. You didn't really have that facility a few years back. I can't really picture myself without a tiny gigable solid state amp any more than I can picture myself without a good tube amp..

[Gregc57]

That Princeton Reverb sure sounds good~
..... as good as my early 70's model @ home~

[TMA]

A bit of a deviation from the title of this thread. This has probably been addressed here before. I am looking for a decent old Gibson GA-20 or GA-50, both of which I have leads on. However….my home banker tells me I cannot spend the $1,800 to $2,300 for what I have in my sights. I’m retired, on a fixed income.

My guitar is a 1952 Gibson L-5C with a single Biltoft CC replica floating pickup. A single 12” or 15” speaker is desired, as is a tube type. Years ago (1965-1978) I used Fender and Vox tube types but did use a solid state amp for awhile, the brand was Jordan, probably unknown here today. But then went back to tube types. My favorite sounds that I listen to are Burrell, Green, Christian, Benson, Smith and of course Montgomery.

So….need a recommendation for an at-home-use-only modern (current) jazz amp that is reasonably (subjective!) priced. Reverb and tremolo would be nice but not a requirement. I’m not brand or model biased.

Thanks!

Tom